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McKee peered over the top of the rock shelter at the e seen, if you can Call us on the radio if there is anything to report”

Gavin nodded, passing the binoculars to Rachel He pulled a Ruger SR9c pistol from a shoulder holster, released the safety, then tucked it back in He then climbed out of the rocky command post and slowly made his way down the rise

Reaching the entrance to the monastery site, he ducked behind a stone wall and listened for the sound of voices The only noise was the rustle of wind in the grass and the cry of a nearby gull He crept forward, slipping behind the first hut and peering around its front There was no sign of the other men

Hethe small oratory He looked over the wall to see if they had climbed down the steep back side, but they were nowhere to be seen Then he noticed the excavated wall, a large boulder on the ground, and a dark opening in the side of the hill

He peered inside, then stepped back and retrieved a tay radio on his hip

“They’ve found a tunnel and have gone underground,” he radioed to McKee “We can finish them off in there And they’ll never be found”

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The steps were carved into a nearly vertical slab of rock that disappeared into total darkness below The four round fissure that descended several hundred feet Pitt aiht at the steep, narrow steps that had been hand-carved into the rock face

“Hope no one’s afraid of heights,” he said, initiating the precarious descent

“Never an elevator when you need one,” Giordino grumbled

Dirk followed his father down the steps, Giordino and Brophy trailing behind They walked in silence, attentive to each step they took, while in awe of the vast underground opening they had stumbled into

The steps followed the face in a wide arc, which leveled briefly across a flat slab, then resu in a countercurve The ainst the steps and echoing across the crevice, shattering the silence of the subterranean world Brophy periodically aiht over the side, but the bottom was always beyond view

“It fits,” Dirk suddenly blurted out

Everyone stopped a moment to catch their breath

“What fits?” Giordino asked